La Salle kept itself in the Final Four race of the UAAP Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament with a 64-57 win over University of the East Wednesday at SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Kent Pastrana starred for the Lady Archers with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists as they leveled their standing to 5-5.
Nigerian center Maureen Okoli also got 10 points, six boards, three assists, and one block, as Charmaine Torres had eight points and five rebounds.
“Of course, we’re taking it one game at a time for us to survive and enter the Final Four,” said an optimistic coach Cholo Villanueva as his side remains at fifth place.
La Salle is just one game behind Far Eastern University and Adamson, who both share the third place with their identical 6-4 records.
For Villanueva, though, he knows that his side couldn’t get fully drawn on the race to the semifinals as it pivots its attention towards the Lady Tamaraws this weekend.
“We’re not looking that far. We need to outwork our opponents in each possession and win each possession and it could only lead to a win,” he said.
The Lady Archers showed that grit in this game, slowly breaking away from the Lady Warriors before unleashing a 24-point attack in the third quarter to hold a 58-38 lead.
It further rose to 24 points numerous times in the payoff period, before UE chipped the lead away and ended the game with a respectable seven-point losing margin.
UE suffered its sixth straight loss to stay at the bottom of the standings at 1-10.
Princess Pedregosa paced the Lady Warriors with a double-double of 16 points, 17 rebounds, and three steals.
Tin Cortizano added 15 points and seven boards, as Jearzy Ganade had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in the defeat.
The Scores:
DLSU 64 — Pastrana 17, Okoli 11, Torres 8, Quingco 6, Revillosa 6, Sario 6, Dalisay 5, Paraiso 4, Jimenez 2, Binaohan 0, Castillo 0, Espinas 0, Jajurie 0, Malarde 0.
UE 57 — Pedregosa 16, Cortizano 15, Ganade 11, Cuadero 7, Terrinal 6, Ordas 2, Fernandez 0, Nama 0.
Quarterscores: 23-16, 34-25, 58-38, 64-57.
